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FBS: Sendine Combine (nation)
The Sendine Combine is a joint federation of the former Sjeni Republic and the various Thock city-states upon their homeworld. It was a joint effort that began with a close alliance and exclusive trade between the two oceanic races. Despite it being relatively young, it has expanded itself on the sectoral stage, becoming a home to one of the more famous shipyards and trade-hubs. The government is ruled by the most wealthy Sjeni family and the most powerful city-state on the Thocks homeworld of Canto. The current great family is the Kliklaks and the largest city-state being Ultorthock. Given their booming economic growth, as a product of having few regulations on trade on their floating cities, as of late the Sendine Combine has begun to grow rapidly. Under the advice of the Thock parliament, much of this new wealth has been delegated to the bolstering of defenses and naval craft. History Formation The Combine Wars Neoteric Era Government and Politics The governing powers of the Sendine Combine are set up in a rather odd fashion, by most race's standards, due to the nature of their alliance. It's almost like two governments working cooperatively, rather than one single government. The parliament is a collection of all the War Queens of the Thock city-states. Each city-state has one such War Queen, a noble that earns her place by killing and consuming the current War Queen in single combat, which they must petition for the right to even attempt. Collectively, all of the War Queens make up the Sendine parliament and vote as a group upon what actions to take in terms of conflict and war. If the majority agrees that war must be declared, or that troops should be delegated to one system instead of another, or that the defence budget needs to be deflated or inflated, or that new weapons need to be purchased, etc etc - that is the action taken by the Sendine military. The War Queen of the most powerful city-state at any time (currently Tolduji Ultor of Ultorthock) is by right of might, dignified as Supreme Commander. Supreme Commander is entitled to directly order any military personnel or vehicle in any way she sees fit, and also speaks on behalf of the parliament when speaking with the Sjeniklik legislative bodies, which are explained in the next few sections. The Sjeniklik are organized socially into clans and houses, and from each great house, a single noble may run for office of Prime minister. The members of the houses all vote to elect one of the candidates - but it is a rule that one cannot vote for someone of the same house and this is regulated heavily. Thus, there is quite a lot of inter-house politics to forge alliances, and plenty of clandestine betrayals and plotting by the patriarchs of the different houses in the interest of their own candidates. Once a prime minister is elected (once every five years) he must choose an ambassador, a secretary of commerce, a secretary of science, a secretary of justice, and a personal vicar. The ambassador must be a Sjeniklik, and must be chosen from among the other candidates - leading to even more plotting and betrayal to create inter-house alliances to secure the position for candidates in case of loss. The ambassador's duty is to speak on behalf of the Sjeniklik with the Supreme Commander of the Thock, to inform her of policy changes made by the Sjeniklik and to learn of military developments that are only to be exchanged between two people rather than communications. The ambassador will visit the Supreme Commander's city-state very often. The three secretaries oversee their three respective departments, and must also be of Sjeniklik heritage though not necessarily of the candidates who ran for Prime Minister (though they usually are). A cabinet of secretaries may be either inherited and kept by a new Prime Minister when elected, or dismissed and replaced, unlike the ambassador and vicar who must be dismissed and replaced every five years. The vicar, interestingly, does not explicitly have to be of Sjeniklik heritage though historically it always has been. Currently, for the first time, it is actually a foreign race; a Feledeen ex-merchant who befriended and mentored the current Prime Minister in his youth on the docks of a floating city. The vicar's duties are simply to advise the Prime Minister in his policy decisions, how to approach conflict and trade, and what information should be relayed to the Thock parliament and how. Culture and Society Inter-racial Development Religion Entertainment Thock and Sjeniklik entertainment are fairly different, but not remarkably so. Neither race truly values comedy, tragedy, or theatrical performances. They aren't much for films, or for plays. Thock only appreciate sculptures and paintings which are made in homage to someone greater, and the Sjeniklik do not understand the appeal at all. Both races enjoy music, which in their culture is typically all drums, made of tin and faceted so either drum can make many different sounds. Both species lacks the ability to use wind instruments. Traditional Sjeniklik instruments are called Kolakkri and are a long stringed oval shell with a membrane pulled over one side and holes in the other. Each one will have nine strings and with their nimble appendages, Sjeniklik trained in their use can play very complex progressions with amazing speed. Thock are more geared towards storytelling, specifically of heroic deeds. Thock mythology is particularly bloody, savage, and in the eyes of Thock quite entertaining. Customs In Sendine communities, there are a handful of traditions which are recognized by Thock, and nearly none that apply to Sjeniklik which are a far more progressive species. Firstly, all male Thock are subservient to even the lowest female of any race, especially other Thock. Many Thock females will simply consume disobedient males. If a Thock is challenged to single combat, the winner must consume the loser - to do otherwise is punishable by death. There is a great myth, of one Thock female who poisoned herself, knowing she would lose to a particularly tyrannical War Queen. When the Queen one, and hungrily feasted on her fallen enemy, she ingested the poison herself and died soon after, creating a panic as many struggled for the throne. It is seen as extremely rude to touch a Thock female, especially on her back. Sjeniklik greet each other with very deep bows, and do the same when saying goodbye. Touching a Sjeniklik's antennae is seen as a dire insult, as is speaking to them without looking them directly in the eyes. When speaking to a group of Sjeniklik it is important to make eye contact with all in the group at least once or as many as possible if it's too many. Fashion To awuatic races, the idea of fashion is rather foreign. Sjeniklik are rarely found wearing civilian clothes on their home-worlds, and rarely seen at all elsewhere, though when they are they will typically be wearing hazard resistant vacc suits as necessary. Otherwise, they almost always go unclothed. Thock males never wear clothing of any kind, except for protective gear as needed for their work. Female Thock often wear armor made of various materials. Historically the chitinous shells of other sea creatures would do, but in the modern day most armors are made of plastic carapaces and kevlar, or other more lightweight materials which allow the stocky creatures some mobility. Thock women do not have 'civilian' attire, even those not working in the military but in other lines of work (though of course that is rare) still wear armor in the place of 'normal' clothes. Cuisine The dietary needs of the Thock and Sjeniklik are very different. A Sjeniklik gets nutrition from ocean water, or in space from tablets containing the minerals they require for nourishment. This makes 'cooking' a very foreign concept to them, as merely sticking their head in water for half an hour is a 'meal'. Thock eat fish primarily, but will partake of other meats - some of them even prefer terrestrial foods to seafood. Thock will either crouch and eat off of a low table, or have fish dumped into a shallow pool in the ground from which they will select which fish looks most appetizing to them. Thock restaurants are a series of small pools, and waiters will dump different species of fish into them to be caught by guests, depending on what they order. Female Thock always eat before males, and they leave what parts of the fish they do not want to eat floating in the pools along with fish that are undesirable to them. This is for the males to eat. On rare occasions, certain spices may be added to the feeding pools to give the fish more flavor, but this is considered extremely elegant. Architecture The cities of the Sendine Combine are generally built on worlds dominated by or entirely made up of water, and of fair climate. The cities come in three types: submerged, afloat, and grav. Submerged cities are accessable only to those able to brave the depths, and most are known of only by Thock and Sjeniklik citizens and their undersea locations kept secret from the other races. Parts of the sea too cold for Sjeniklik are either heated to the desirable temperature range with machinery, braved only by Sjeniklik in special undersea environmental suits, or reserved for Thock who can withstand colder temperatures with little problem. Submerged cities are made up of large complexes of large cylindrical towers connected by tubes. There is typically a large hangar for submersible vehicles to dock so that certain foreign visitors may enter - and though the water may be cold, the facilities and vehicles are kept a temperature hospitable to Sjeniklik. Afloat cities are very common. They are built on top of and covering islands entirely, or simply float adrift on their own. Such settlements typically support a wide variety of inhabitants of many races, though the dominant species are Thock and Sjeniklik, and a Thock representative of the Sendine Combine administrates the city. These cities host the Sendine navy (both aquatic and interstellar) as well as most trade between the Sendine Combine and other races. Fish, mineral ores mined from the sea floor, and chemical reagents refined by the Sendine are exported from here in large quantities. Buildings of such cities are high rises, or buildings of other sizes. The architecture is really very standard and simple. Grav cities are tremendous, and float above the ocean. These enormous flying fortresses harbor the most powerful ships in the Sendine arsenal, as well as their most powerful political and military leaders. To be invited aboard one such station, as an outsider, is a privelege reserved for only the most renowned and noble members of the intergalactic community - or those the Sendine Combine wishes to deal with directly, and in person. Grav cities typically feature dome shaped buildings made of either glass, or metal, depending on its utility. Economy The Sendine economy hinges upon a few things. A set of unique exports, and a set of specific imports, as well as independent trading which occurs all over their planets on the floating cities which stand as major trade hubs renowned for their diverse - and sometimes less than legal and very clandestine - marketplaces. The Sendine Combine exports fish, sand, concrete, minerals (iron ore, zinc, silver, and coal), and precious gems and stones (rubies, emeralds, and massive numbers of 'ether pearls' which are an ominous and beautiful green, and cultivated in a particular type of oyster from Canto). These resources are in abundance on their worlds, and are desired by many other civilizations at different levels. They import technology, spacecraft (which their Sjeni engineers typically upgrade to be far far more powerful using what materials they have), magnesium, tungsten, glass, and steel. There is also, as mentioned, a great deal of free and individual trading in the sprawling markets of their floating cities which are open to all races, and some of the grandest trading hubs in their corner of the galaxy. It is said almost anything can be bought twice in a Sendine floating market. All labor, fishing, mining, manufacturing, and anything else of a less than totally skilled nature is done by male Thock. Due to their abundance, expendibility, and loyalty to the female Thock, they make excellent workers. In fact, they do all work for free so long as they are given adequate shelter and food. This saves the Sendine Combine a tremendous amount of money. Any work of a technological, tactical, or skilled nature is typically handled by a Sjeniklik. Female Thock are primarily warriors and defenders in Sendine society. Ideologies Technology Due to very robust trading efforts, and the sharing of information between the two cultures as they became one, the Sendine Combine is deceptively endowed in its technological developments. Their most advanced tech is in the fields of protection against heat, cold, and radiation and the regulation of environments on behalf of the delicate Sjeniklik biology. They also have very advanced grav technology, which is used to keep many of their cities floating miles above the seas of their worlds. Lastly, their engineering, and repairing technology is advanced due to a Sjeniklik's natural tendency to tinker. Their knowledge of medicine is rather low, as Thock are a violent, combative species and Sjeniklik naturally regenerate limbs. Both species have very hardy immune systems, and Thock in particular are resistant to most biological venoms, though chemically synthesized poisons are effective against both races equally. Because of these facts, medicine was never particularly important to either species. They also have less developed manufacturing processes - though this in no way inhibits their ability to produce goods. They've historically not needed to invest much in manufacturing due to male Thocks doing all labor and in countless numbers, for free. Military The Sendine Combine's military is a very formidable one, it is split into two groups: the navy, and the armed forces. Many are unsure of which they fear more. The Sendine navy is made up of formidable craft, usually bought from other species and enhanced by Sjeniklik technicians to terrible capacity, and pilotted by the crustaceous beings with remarkable speed and skill. Due to their keen senses and reflexes, Sjeniklik make adept pilots and engineers, and so long as their life support is kept in check, with their regenerative abilities it is unlikely a doctor is needed. Thus, they are naturally suited to crew spacecraft. Most of their craft will host a boarding squad of female Thock berserkers to storm opposing ships in combat. Some of their more advanced ships will feature drop-pods capable of orbitally launching Thock skirmishers into combat on a planet from the safety of space. The navy retains four classes of ship: Carrier: this ship will hold up to seventy fighters, each pilotted by a single Sjeni and carrying a payload of eight smart missiles and a single double-laser gun fixed on the front. The carrier will have its own defenses of sixteen hardpoints, all of which are triple-laser turrets, twenty smart torpedoes, and eighty smart missiles. There are only two carriers in the Sendine navy and it is not advised that they be engaged. They are called, 'Thurdanko's Maw' and, 'The Rock Lobster'. Ironclad: souped with a remarkable hull, and a very large fuel capacity so the heavy ship may move, these are truly durable ships. In fact, only one Sendine Ironclad has ever been destroyed. There are currently eight in active duty, patrolling Sendine space. Each Ironclad comes with a very heavily reinforced hull, twelve smart torpedoes, and eight double laser turrets. They also come with five deployments of countermeasures each, for incoming missiles and torpedoes, as well as eight sandcasters to impede laser attacks. These ships truly personify the idea that a strong defense is the best offense. Cruiser: Not quite as large as the Ironclad, these are one of the most common Sendine ships, and typically travel in pairs. A Cruiser will have a boarding crew of twenty four female Thock, and be otherwise staffed by Sjeniklik pilots and engineers. A Cruiser is armed with six double laser turrets, and forty smart missiles. There are twenty in active duty, divided evenly among Sendine space. Scout ship: armed with merely two double-laser turrets and ten smart missiles, and a crew of only eight, this is the smallest Sendine ship, and typically used for exploration instead of combat. The armed forces are very different from the navy, in that they are made up entirely of female Thock. The ranks are as follows: Sentinel, Skirmisher, Berserker, Commander, Battle Mistress. Sentinel: The standard guard. Sentinels are like the police of Sendine cities, and in times of crisis may be dispatched for other duties like rescue, or defence. They can train and raise a militia if the need arises. Sentinels are typically armed with several non-lethal weapons, a two pronged spear, and a laser pistol as a last resort. Skrimisher: The standard soldier. Skirmishers skirmish; they are deployed into smaller battles and to engage enemies on the front line. Skirmishers are armored, and will keep with them a scimitar for close combat, a laser rifle, and several grenades. Some Skrimishers are deployed with large bulletproof shields to rush the enemy in close quarters, depending on their mission. Berserker: Above the Skirmishers, these fighters are deployed in much stickier situations. They are the elite, the most ruthless of a race of ruthless creatures. They are encouraged to use their teeth in combat, and outside of that are armed with monoblade scimitars, advanced laser rifles, a variety of grenades, a grenade launcher, combat armor, and a bad fucking attitude. Commander: They fight alongside Skirmishers most often, leading them in combat and telling them what they must do to succeed. Typically they are armed with two scimitars, an advanced laser rifle, and a variety of grenades, with ceremonial armor. Battle Mistress: Truly the most vile and ferocious of the Thock warriors is the battle mistress, whose snarling rage is a trademark of the Sendine armed forces. Packing two monoblade scimitars, a grenade launcher, a large variety of grenades, upgraded combat armor, steel, serated teeth, and one specialty weapon they choose (cryo-jet, inferno revolver, mauler shotgun, rocket launcher). Controlled Space Gallery Sub heads 2 by fightpunch-d64o329 zps7b1bb311.jpg|The Thock|link=FBS: Thock (race) 8mHgWBB zps7dc9fbe1.jpg|The Sjeniklik|link=FBS: Sjeniklik (race) Combineemblem.png|The insignia of the Combine Ideas and Concepts Category:FBS:Nation Category:Fyrea Category:Blind Seraph Category:Nation